Guide

How to install a datapack

Updated October 18, 2026

Datapacks need no mods and no server software: they work on vanilla, in singleplayer and on any server. A datapack belongs to one world: you put it in that world's datapacks folder and reload. The only thing to watch is that the pack is made for your Minecraft version.

An example to start from.

Generate this with Codexe

Step by step

1.Check the version
The pack page says which Minecraft versions it supports. Datapack formats change between versions, so a pack for 1.20 may not work on 1.21.
2.Find the world's datapacks folder
Singleplayer: .minecraft/saves/<World>/datapacks/. Server: world/datapacks/ (the folder named by level-name in server.properties).
3.Copy the pack
Put the .zip there as it is, or the unzipped folder. Either way, pack.mcmeta must be at the top level of the zip or folder.
4.Reload
Run /reload in game (it needs operator or cheats), or restart the server.
5.Check it is enabled
/datapack list shows enabled and available packs. If yours is available but not enabled, run /datapack enable "file/<name>".

Adding a datapack when you create a world

In singleplayer, Create New World, then More and Data Packs: drag the .zip into the window and move it to the enabled side. This is the right way for packs that change world generation (biomes, terrain, structures), because those changes only apply to chunks generated after the pack is enabled.

On a server, put a worldgen pack in world/datapacks/ before the first start, or the old terrain stays as it was and only new chunks change.

Common problems

The pack is not in /datapack list: it is in the wrong folder, or the zip contains an extra folder level, so pack.mcmeta is not at the top.
"Made for an older/newer version" warning: the pack_format does not match your game. The pack may load, but recipes or functions written for another version can fail.
Loaded but nothing happens: a function or recipe has an error. The server log (or the game log in singleplayer) names the file that failed.
You downloaded a resource pack: textures and sounds go in resourcepacks/, not in datapacks/. Some content ships as both.

On a hosting panel

On a hosting panel, open the file manager, go to the world folder and upload the zip to datapacks/, then restart. Some hosts have a datapack installer that does the same. The world folder is the one in server.properties, not the server root.

Datapacks made with Codexe

A datapack made on Codexe is loaded on a real Minecraft server before it is Ready, and the server log is read for errors in recipes, functions, advancements or JSON. You download it as a zip with pack.mcmeta and data/ at the top, ready for world/datapacks/, and you can play it on a private test server first.

Questions

Do I need to install anything on the client?

No. Datapacks run on the server (or the integrated server in singleplayer). Players only need a resource pack if the datapack comes with one for textures.

Does a datapack apply to every world?

No, only to the world whose folder it is in. Copy it into each world that should use it.

Can I remove a datapack?

Run /datapack disable "file/<name>" and delete it from the folder. Things it already created (items, scoreboards, generated terrain) can stay in the world.

Make a datapack for your world

This prompt opens ready to send:

“A datapack for Minecraft 1.21.4, namespace "camp": a shapeless recipe for a Bedroll (3 white wool and 2 string) that gives a named white bed, a recipe that turns 4 rotten flesh into 1 leather, and a load function that shows a "deaths" scoreboard in the sidebar.”